2012 Fall 15K Race Report

This past Sunday, The Boyfriend and I both ran the Fall 15K (HERE).  This was both of our first race at the odd distance ... so we were both going to automatically PR.  The race was equivalent to 3 - 5Ks, or 9.3 miles.  The race was close by, super affordable and it was going to be a beautiful fall day.  Despite all of this, I really didn't feel like getting out of bed on my child-free Sunday morning.  I'm glad I did.  It was awesome.  And, you never regreat a run.

The race started at 9:00 am at the Warner Park shelter in Madison.  Packet pickup ... and restroom lines ... were a breeze.  We ran into our friend, Dwight, and my good friend Sara before the race.  He was running the whole thing with his four-year-old in a jogging stroller.  I did bow down to him after the race.  We got to the startline and there were about 100 people ready to race.  We were off.

I had a feeling that this was going to be a lot of former cross country runners and fast people.  I placed myself towards the back of the pack.  We initially crossed a patch of grass.  The Boyfriend took off ahead of me (we agreed to both "race" the event) and Dwight passed me with the jogging stroller.  We then wound around the park and onto a path.  I was familiar with this area, as I coached a race their this spring.  I knew there were hills ahead of me.

I felt like my pace was great, as I conquered every hill.  It reminded me of the Tyranena Half Marathon course.  Hilly, scenic and beautiful landscape along the lake.  The canopy of half-empty trees were great and I loved the leaves crunching under my feet. 

I carried my handheld water bottle with me, but grabbed three small cups of Gatorade along the way.  I loved the fact that they offered them in dixie cups - much more manageable - and just the right amount of sports drink.  I also sipped on my Mint Chocolate Gu from miles 4-6.

At the "turnaround", the hill was monstrous.  I saw people walking at the top, but I ran the whole thing.  Of course, at my own middle-of-the-pack-kind-of-pace.

I messed with my ipod and played "California Love" about three or four times.  The beat was keeping my feet in a rhythm ... and I felt awesome.  I picked up my pace (or at least I felt like it) the last two miles.  I passed a few runners through the last neighborhood.

I felt fast, though I was constantly getting passed by other runners.  Oh well.  I looked at my watch every mile and it appeared I was even faster than I thought.  We compared notes after the race, and we think the mile markers could be off, because the last .3 seemed extremely long and it all balanced out in the end.

I would TOTALLY do this race again next year.  The price was right.  The location was great.  The course was scenic.  The hills were actually welcomed.  The 15K distance was awesome.  I wasn't sure I'd know how to race a 9ish mile course, but I think I paced myself just right.

15K finish time
1:22:51